


I Still Love

by woopsforgotadam



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hope, Multi, Murder, Past Death of Child
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-23 12:16:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3767842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woopsforgotadam/pseuds/woopsforgotadam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Despite what the cards had dealt Ultear, she was ready to reach out for that hope and grab it. If not for herself, than for her daughter, for the man who found out the child he saw waste away wasn't his, for his ex-wife who found out the truth and got murdered for it, for Ultear's own child who she never got to know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Still Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of a Castle episode I saw and got inspired immediately. It's sad, but it is hopeful.

It’s been an entire three days since Ultear Milkovich’s life got turned upside down. It was one thing to learn your husband had murdered someone, let alone the biological mother of your child. The child you’ve loved for six years, the one that was never yours to begin with. Pulling her blanket over her head, Ultear closed her eyes again and breathed out slowly, Erza was dead because of Rusty’s selfishness. Her child…

“I can’t go down that route,” she told herself. Swallowing hard, the woman threw her blankets off of her and sat up in her bed, exhaling a breath before reaching for her water. The lukewarm water didn’t help too much, but it was better than nothing. She figured Meredy would awake soon, and her daughter would meet someone new today. Her real father.

(The sunken feeling in her chest has yet to leave her, when the detectives told her of her husband’s sins, Ultear felt ashamed to be so starry eyed. Was this the woman her mother raised? Ultear used to be great at reading people, but Rusty’s smile was what fooled her. His love. His promises. And now so many pay the price for her naivety.)

There was a connection a mother felt when her baby moves within the womb for the first time. It’s nothing like any other, and it was in that moment when Ultear first began to love her child. All those nights, she stayed up reading, talking, mumbling along as to comfort her child. Rubbing her growing stomach, cuddling with with Rusty, telling stories...all for her husband to switch the child. How long had he known that his genetics would cause Niemann Pick syndrome to develop in their child? When he found her reading stories? The first time she became afflicted with morning sickness? It mattered not now, for it all came to the same conclusion. He was a coward. That was what her mother had said when Ultear called in tears to reveal what happened, to think before Ultear upset because that Erza woman had been fired due to Ultear’s complaint, and that she was murdered. Now, she saw that Hotel worker for what she was: a mother grieving. A woman who was looking for the truth, who found it, and who knew. All to be murdered by the man who did the deed of switching the children. Ultear’s husband. Erza was a strong woman, Ultear decided.

And now, Erza’s ex-husband was coming by to her house, escorted by the detective and the author, to visit his biological child.

Ultear wondered what Jellal was like. He seemed nice, and she was grateful that he and his wife loved her baby when she could not. He also ensured he was not looking to take Meredy away--he just wanted to be involved. And really, after all they’ve been through, and for the fault Ultear had in it---how could she not allow him? It didn’t stop the anxiety in her chest, though.

It was time to face the day, face her troubles, with resolution. She was still a strong woman, and she must set an example for her daughter.

Finally, Ultear Milkovich rose from the bed and got ready for the day.

“Mama! I wanna play with the trucks!” the young girl was as chipper as always in the morning and her face had syrup all over it from her pancakes. She’s asked for her Papa a few times, but it’s been easy to distract her or to tell her he was still at work. Rusty being a doctor made it easier for the lie to be believeable. Ultear still wasn’t sure what how she was supposed to relay the news to her six year old.

“After you clean up, Meredy, okay? Then you can play. We’re having a visitor today,” bending with a towel in her hand, the mother wiped her daughter’s face smoothly. Still, Meredy scrunched her face as all six year olds do before jumping off her chair and running towards her room. It was Saturday and that meant that Meredy got to chose her outfit and get ready all by herself.

When her cell phone rang, Ultear twitched, wishing for silence. What she got was her brother Lyon calling her. Despite her emotional upheaval, a smile lifted her lips. Lyon was always a good source for comfort, and she did promise to call the night before...which she didn’t.

“Hello Lyon,”

“Ultear,” He sounded as peaceful as always, though there was a tensity in there somewhere. “I noticed your lack of calling.”

“Forgive me, I’ve been quite busy.”

“I’m sure. Anyway, I called to let you know that I am coming up to the big NYC in the next week.”

Well, that was surprising. “Lyon, you have Sherry and the twins--”

“I also have a sister who will need someone to watch over Meredy as her scumbag husband goes through the court process. Sherry and I already talked about it and I’m sure Gray, Mom and I will be switching schedules.”

“I...I don’t think all this is all too necessary. You know the situation. I...Meredy’s biological father is coming by today. I’m sure he could do it. Meredy deserves to know her real father...and he deserves to know his daughter.” Ultear wanted to know her daughter--but she was too late there.

There was silence on the other end, and she knew how Lyon’s mind worked. He was thinking over all possible outcomes. And finally, the vet spoke. “I’m still coming up, I wanna meet this guy, anyway.”

“Fine, but...I’ll call you later and tell you how it went.”

“Yeah, yeah, but make sure to call Mom before me. Gray can be last.”

The woman snorted at that and continued smiling as Meredy came out of her room with a purple ballerina skirt, black and purple striped legging, slippers and Ultear’s old Operation Ivy t-shirt. Gazing at her daughter, she spoke to the phone, “I will. See you later, Lyon. Tell Sherry and the twins I say hi.”

“Will do, talk to you later, Ultear.”

“Mom! How’d I do!” Right as Ultear hung up her cell, Meredy ran over twirling for her mother. Bending, the woman picked her laughing daughter up and kissed her on the cheek.

“You look beautiful, Meredy.”

“I wanna be pwetty for the guests! Like you, Mommy!”

Ultear shook her head at that, but continued smiling. She barely looked like her normal self, prompting for her hair tied back in a simple ponytail with a  simple purple dress on. In fact, the pair of Milkovich woman seemed to be decked out in purple, and somehow Ultear felt it was on purpose by her daughter.

The knock on the door didn’t disrupt Meredy’s playing, but it did make Ultear very nervous. She stepped through the hallway and towards the grand glass door and saw three silhouettes outside. One of them was going to be Jellal Fernandes. The other two were going to be Detective Strauss and Natsu Dragneel, the author. She bit the inside of her cheek as she opened the door, the broad smile of the author greeting her first. Her eyes shifted from the platinum blonde detective to the man behind the two, he seemed shy, this Jellal. He looked up at her and gave a small, half smile.

She knew instantly that Meredy must take after Erza for sure because Jellal had hair as dark as her own. Ultear had thought Meredy’s red hair was due to Rusty’s--she was wrong. Despite that, the woman smiled at her three guests, opening her door wider, hopefully she looked welcoming. “Please, come in.”

“Nice to see you again Ms. Milkovich,” Detective Strauss was always kind, if not a little uncomfortable. Dragneel, however, smiled wider and stepped inside, the complete foil of his...partner, she supposed.

“How’ve you been?” he asked, looking very genuine at her. In response, the woman offered a terse smile, her eyes shifted between the three adults before turning away.

“As well as you’d expect, please, follow me...Meredy is in the playroom.”

The playroom was designated mostly just for Meredy, and she was in the middle of it all, too focused on her toys to really notice the guests she was excited about before. Ah, to be six. Ultear sat on one end of the couch, and she hoped for Jellal to follow suite which he did. It was awkward to say the least, and Strauss and Dragneel left the room to give them privacy. Those were small mercies.

“...It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Milkovich.” Jella began, his accent was pretty strong. It was one she recognized, having known Erza for a short while.

“Please, call me Ultear.”

“Then I must insist you call me Jellal,” was his quick reply. They smiled at each other, before both looking towards Meredy playing. “She’s beautiful.”

“She is,” agreed Ultear, “Saturday is the Dress Up Day. I let her wear whatever she wants, as long as it’s weather appropriate. That’s what she chose today.”

“The band shirt had me wondering,” that made Ultear laugh a little.

“She loves to steal my old shirts. I’ve had to dry is a few hundred times, but she loves it.”

Jellal nodded, his eye never leaving Meredy, and they settled in that comfortable silence for a bit, Meredy’s playing and the murmured voices of the escorts the only thing. Her own hands were twisting in her lap, the old anxiety coming back up again. Taking a deep breath, she finally moved her gaze to the man beside her. He seemed tired, and she supposed she had a weariness to her as well. She wanted to know what her child was like. It seemed almost unfair that she never got to know her child, nor he his.

(Maybe that’s why she didn’t feel threatened by him, like others perhaps would.)

“I…” she spoke and his reaction was immediate. He looked so sincere as he gazed at her that somehow, it made her feel better. “I was wondering what...what was her name?”

He understood thankfully, and she hadn’t had to hear her own pathetic voice crack. (What happened to being strong?)

“We named her Irena…she was such a beautiful little girl..she was the joy of Me and Erza’s life for years...even her short time with us…wasting away...” Jellal stopped short, instead he reached in his pocket and pulled out an old looking wallet. It took him a few seconds before he held out his hand to her, a picture in it. Ultear gasped at what she saw, it was Jellal and surely Erza next to him. In Erza’s arm was a small baby with red hair atop her head and bright brown eyes, smiling at the camera. Ultear knew that smile, for it was the same one Gray had all the time as a child, and she had her mother’s nose for sure. Breathing in and out, she gazed at he picture. Her child. Her daughter...so beautiful, and she never got to know...she never…

“Thank you,” before she cried, Ultear had to speak. Her eyes never left the picture, however, “For loving her...for being with her when I...I...I couldn’t.”

She felt his hand on her arm and finally, she looked over. Jellal gave her that same shy smile he did before, “I love Irena, I still do. I need to thank you for raising Meredy into the beautiful girl over there.”

Ultear placed her free hand on his and smiled before the footsteps of Meredy came over to them. The young girl held out one of her trucks, the parts in either hand, with a frown, “Mama,” she began, “My wheel fell off.”

Before Ultear could reach for it, Jellal spoke, “Here, let me help.” Meredy looked at him before nodding, as if she decided she could trust the stranger. She moved her held out hands to the stranger and he took the two parts and easily pieced them together, handing Meredy the fixed toy. “There, how’s that?”

Meredy did a small test on, right on Jellal’s leg before smiling at him. “Thank you, Mister!” and she ran back to the others, a new spring in her step.

Ultear finally felt herself breathe. It was going to be hard, yes, but she finally saw a ray of hope.


End file.
